BY 



luLL'S NOTArTaI 

Irudens FuTUR^r^'k J. 
Off the High Road 

Marked by intelligent discrimination, 
modesty and good sense. — Religio- 
Philosophical Journal. 

How I Found Rustle-us, Prince 
OF Abyssinia 

*'Mr. Roosevelt much appreciates your 
kindness and was much amused/' 

The Township of Jefferson, 
III., and "Dinner-Pail 
Avenue/' From Mastodon 

TO Man 

History of a suburb has seldom, if 
ever, been written in so piquant and 
refreshing a fashion. — Chicago Even- 
ing Post 



ALFRED BULL, Publisher 
Irving Park, III. 




The Celestial Female 



ONE OF UNCLE SAM'S COLOR PROBLEMS 



With ^de-flung arm perplexed he stands , 
Blacky Red, Broivn, Yellonv, on his ijueary hands\ 

Redskins he smeared out. Blacks he ate. 
Dragon and Rising Sun, excluded, wait. 



THE RECKONING 
OF HEAVEN 



By ALFRED BULL 

Author of "jAUNTS Off the High Road," 
"The Township of Jefferson," etc., etc. 



*' Death is the Reckoning of Heaven " 

— Chinese Proverb 



ALFRED BULL, Publisher 

IRVING PARK, ILL. 

1912 



^''tk^ 



\V 



Copyright IQI2 
By Alfred Bull 



©CI.A305157 



Contents 

Chapter I 

Ta-yu learns of a distinguished relative, 
one Uncle Sam, hitherto unknown to 
him, and resolves to visit him . Page ii 

Chapter II 

Ta-yu hears dame Fortune's faint tap 

at his door Page ig 

Chapter III 

Ta-yu accumulates experience and cap- 
ital for the journey, arrives and pros- 
pers ,,.... Page 2Q 

Chapter IV 

Ta-yu acquires some English, also a 
little elemental Chinography, including 
the fact that the seat of his affections was 
not, as he had always supposed it to be, 
in the liver Page JQ 

Chapter V 

Ta-yu discovers more symbolism in 
Miss Myra Jones' gift than was in- 
tended by that young lady . . Pagf Ji 



Chapter VI 

Ta-yu knows not that love is blind, 
while proving the truth of the adage by 
his own sad experience . . . Page 6^ 

Chapter VII 

Ta-yu disconcerts his friends; but he 
makes overtures to Charon, the domes- 
ticated water-buffalo, which are gra- 
ciously entertained .... Page 8l 

Chapter VIII 

Ta-yu meditates full and sweet revenge 

upon his successful rival . . . Page gy 

Chapter IX 

Ta-yu summons Charon to his assist- 
ance, and empties his Noah's Ark Page lOg 

Chapter X 

Ta-yu realizes that Death is the Reck- 
oning of Heaven .... Page 123 



THE RECKONING 
OF HEAVEN 



Une Fantaisie Chinoise 



Ta-yu learns of a distinguished 
relati've, one Uncle Sam, 
hitherto unkno^wn to him, 
and resolves to njisit him. 




WHEN Ta-yu^s 
kind friend, the 
reverend Mr, Kitcat, 
foreign missionary, 
chanced to mention 
the great country 
from which he, the 
black-coated one, 
had so recently em- 
barked for China — 
11 



and, in particular, that lanky and 
benignant individual. Uncle Sam, 
ruler of its destinies, Ta-yu was all 
attention. 

On speaking further of Uncle 
Sam, as blending all nationalities 
into one harmonious and vastly im- 
proved whole, Ta-yu grasped his 
friend's meaning at once; for Ta- 
yu knew something of blends, 
whereby color, strength and flavor 
are greatly benefited. As much 
may not be said for the mission- 
ary's well-meant and repeated ef- 
forts at Ta-yu's conversion. For 
a sufficient small sum Ta-yu 
would, after the fashion of his 
kind, have professed all expected 
reformation and belief; but to 
make this really part and parcel of 

12 



himself, clearing his attic of all in- 
herited lumber to make room for 
it — this was absurd, almost an im- 
possible expectation. 

Similarly, when Mr. Kitcat dis- 
coursed of one of the five elements, 
water, making various foolish sug- 
gestions for its use, externally, in- 
ternally and as a means of grace, 
Ta-yu was not to be cajoled into 
accepting such sophistries. A na- 
tive bonze might very properly 
spurt a mouthful over sacrifices in 
token of purification, or over rela- 
tives of the honored dead with 
similar intent; but Ta-yu hoped to 
be able to declare, with his latest 
breath, that he had wantonly 
wasted no water himself. 

Uncle Sam possessed so attract- 

13 



ive a personality, as set forth by 
his votary, that a longing thence- 
forward possessed Ta-yu to enjoy 
his acquaintance. Mr. Kitcat's 
portrait was in high lights; no 
dark shadow, exclusion for in- 
stance, was suggested. Innocently 
referred to by the missionary, while 
hipped with home -sickness, his 
words bore fruit, arousing ambition 
and discontent in the follower of 
Confucius; and confusion came 
eventually to the heathen one from 
the good man's ill-advised and 
overjflowing patriotism. 

Ta-yu, Coolie of Amoy, in the 
province of Fuh-keen, had been an 
orphan from early infancy. In the 
year of the ''small knife'' rebellion 
the black plague had taken his 

14 



mother; Ta-yu being picked, like 
an unripe berry, from her stiffen- 
ing arms. His father, Chang-yu, 
once a petty leader under Tan- 
keng-chin, was "cut into a thousand 
pieces'' the same year, resting ever 
since, his severed head between 
his knees, the uncomplaining 
tenant of one of a row of glazed, 
earthen pots or jars, on a hillside 
overlooking the native quarter of 
Amoy. Chang-yu patiently awaited 
that suitable and honorable inter- 
ment which the rites of Feng-shui 
(good luck) demanded at the hands 
of his only son, Ta-yu, 

These ceremonies, Ta-yu knew, 
were contingent upon his own dis- 
covery of the required number of 
taels — now, as for so long a time 

15 



past, alas, wholly beyond his reach. 
Until this duty to his revered par- 
ent was accomplished, naught but 
disgrace and dishonor could be 
Ta-yu's own portion. He revolved 
many schemes in the vain hope of 
retrieving his past, and thus arous- 
ing some hopefulness in his own 
future. The words of the mission- 
ary echoed and re-echoed through 
his brain, until Ta-yu waited only 
on opportunity before taking the 
momentous step. 

Among other scraps of knowl- 
edge, eagerly absorbed, Ta-yu had 
learned that Uncle Sam was rich 
enough to give all a farm, and that 
he customarily came to town riding 
upon a pony — and wealthy manda- 
rins bestrode the China ponies 

16 



with which Ta-yu was familiar! 
If some little confusion of legend- 
ary heroes existed in Ta-yu's mind, 
the missionary and his compatriots 
were to blame for it. A feather 
in Uncle Sam's hat too, doubt- 
less from the peacock, no mere 
'^flower/' or ^^green'' feather, but 
a full '^three-eyed'' one! 

The costume was a trifle eccen- 
tric, but Uncle Sam was rich 
enough to disregard convention. 
If a trifle bizarre, in Ta-yu's con- 
ception, with his striped, strapped 
nankeens, and his vest and hat- 
band spangled with stars — well, 
that was a matter of individual 
taste and preference. Ta-yu might 
be willing, he allowed, to rig him- 
self out similarly, in the fashion 

17 



of that country, could he only 
accumulate maces and candareens 
enough. 

That the missionary was, after 
all, a bit of a joker, secure in the 
knowledge that the poor coolie 
could never judge for himself, and 
therefore indulged in some farcical 
and grimly humorous descriptions, 
never occurred to Ta-yu, Would 
a bonze joke? ^'Impossible,'' he 
decided. ''Does a tiger eat a fly? 
Can a Buddhist priest carry an 
olive on his smooth-shaven pate?'' 



18 




Chapter II 

Ta-yu hears dame Fortune's 
faint tap at his door, 

A T length oppor- 
tunity came, 
with a splash of mud 
and a glint of sun- 
shine. 

One day, crowd- 
ing into itself, as 
some days will, all 
possible mishap and 
ill-luck, Ta-yu 
lounged in the door- 
way of the nondescript hovel which 

19 



he called home, disheartened and 
beaten, awaiting the summons to 
the evening meal. 

The hut stood by the water's 
edge, a crazy patchwork of decay- 
ing boat-timbers and matting, of 
cracked potsherds daubed with 
mud and clay, crowned with rot- 
ting thatch and broken tiles, snug- 
gled under the city wall, which 
alone saved it from utter collapse. 
Razor-back hogs and vagrant curs 
fought for refuse in the long, dark, 
narrow street; Ta-yu's wearied 
eyes sought relief in the panorama 
of the upper heights. Here pic- 
turesque but useless fortifications 
crowned outcropping granite of 
strange configuration, bathed in 
sunset rays, when all below was 

20 



dark. Nearer, the sinking sun 
lighted up the row of funereal pots 
so often in Ta-yu's thoughts; while, 
toward the city, beside a tall pa- 
goda, flashed the stars and stripes, 
stiff in the offshore breeze as if 
pasted on the sky, and marking the 
American consulate. 

A mangy dog, scurrying across 
a rocky flagstone in the foul street, 
splashed Ta-yu from head to foot 
with reeking filth. With a vin- 
dictive glance after his scampering 
foe Ta-yu entered the house. 

Steaming rice, though salted, 
and eked out with a particle of salt 
fish, was less savory when a salt 
tear or two splashed into the dish. 
So he arose hastily, kowtowed 

21 



respectfully to his foster-father, 
and left the house. 

Making rapid progress along 
the rickety causeway, Ta-yu 
paused before a similar hovel, the 
outer walls decorated with black 
plasters (betokening the residence 
of a medical man), and rapped 
gently. 

When admitted, Ta-yu steeled 
himself to utter disregard of the 
emptied phials and pill-boxes and 
used plasters that covered the 
walls — mutely eloquent testimo- 
nials to the doctor's skill, and re- 
turned to him as such by grateful 
patients — ignoring dry herbs and 
unfamiliar objects, designed to 
overwhelm the ignorant visitor 
and to attest professional status. 

22 



Ignoring them, Ta-yu addressed 
the learned man with a reckless 
courage and disregard of etiquette 
that startled his host, and surprised 
himself. 

Ponderous spectacles, a strag- 
gling, wiry, white moustache, blue 
cotton breeches and rice-straw 
slippers, down-at-heel, sufficiently 
clothed that mummy-like person- 
age, who listened quietly, secretly 
relieved that his impetuous visitor 
had no intention of running 
amuck. 

The recital ended, the physician 
with upraised hand and claw-like 
nails commanded silence, the while 
he busied himself with his metal- 
covered pip e. Placing a few shreds 
of tobacco with the tweezers in the 

23 



bowl, he reached for a stick of 
smouldering punk, blew a glowing 
coal, and meditatively enjoyed two 
long-drawn whiffs. The weed ex- 
hausted, he leisurely removed the 
bowl, blew the ashes away, and 
cleansed the bowl and tube. Ta-yu 
waited, respectfully silent. Thus 
quickened, the doctor began: 

^^My son, I fear I myself am 
becoming affected by the modern 
evil spirit of unrest, since I say there 
are times that the dead must wait 
upon the living. Your father, 
Chang -yu, can content himself 
yonder a little longer. I have heard 
of this Uncle Sam, of whom the 
fankwei (foreign devil) spoke to 
you, and I know the dangers that 
beset the way. 

24 



^^Since it hath pleased the Son of 
Heaven graciously to withdraw his 
imperial edict against his heung-noo 
(clamorous slaves) leaving the ce- 
lestial kingdom, it is not for me to 
discover objections, but rather to 
assist you, if I may." 

The old fossil busied his trem- 
bling fingers with brush and ink, 
speedily offering to Ta-yu, for his 
inspection and signature, those 
necessary hieroglyphs which con- 
veyed to himself all right, title and 
interest in everything material and 
personal possessed by Ta-yu, save 
only the ragged clothing which 
he then wore. 

These possessions were not nu- 
merous: a one-eighth interest in 
that patched and battered antique, 

25 



the sampan, ''the Delight of My 
Soul/' moored in the river close 
by; a nearly whole and fairly clean 
sleeping -blanket; and, prospec- 
tively, four hundred // or cash due 
from the good doctor himself to 
Ta-yu for the carriage of v^ater 
and other merchandise. Of course, 
also, a mortgage upon the afore- 
said earthenware pot, in which re- 
posed the mortal remains of 
Chang-yu; morally, if not com- 
mercially, one of the most valuable 
assets hitherto controlled by Ta- 
yu, since he was contemplating an 
extended tour. 

After the doctor had dwelt suf- 
ficiently upon the desirability of 
closing a transaction of this mag- 
nitude with an honorable neighbor 
of professional repute, instead of 

26 



attempting to deal with a dishonest 
schroffer (money changer) in the 
city proper, Ta-yu received his 
mess of pottage. 

Two other documents were ex- 
ecuted and placed in Ta-yu's eager 
hands. Laboriously deciphered by 
him, one was an order upon a na- 
tive comprador in Amoy for trans- 
portation to Canton, thence to Sin- 
gapore, or as much farther on the 
road to America as its net value 
would warrant. The Celestial 
Kingdom is so large, central and 
dominant, the rest of the world so 
small, no wonder both blundered 
in locating tiny objects on the 
outer rim of space. Also an intro- 
duction to that Columbian nation's 
consulate at Canton, speedily prov- 
en to possess no value whatever. 

27 




Chapter III 

Ta-yu accumulates experience 
and capital for the journey y 
arrives and prospers, 

npHUS amply 
provided, hav- 
ing sold his birth- 
right, Ta-yu, in bor- 
rowed bravery, vi^an- 
dered next morning 
up the hillside ""the 
Glorious Rest,'' 
to his father's jar, and burned 
beside it some paper models 

29 



of houses, boats and furniture, 
carefully prepared beforehand. 
He scattered the ashes over the 
pot; and, satisfied that Chang-yu 
was thus provided with all needed 
comforts, he left incense-sticks 
a-burning, and tearfully withdrew. 
As the long hallowed day closed, 
the skies were full of rain; a bow 
of promise curved against them in 
the East, gratefully accepted by 
Ta-yu as an omen of good for- 
tune. 

When Ta-yu reached Canton^ 
and sought a passport to the land of 
his dreams, the native assistant of 
that busy individual, the American 
vice-consul, took but one glance 
at Ta-yu's hands, eloquent of labor, 
blunt in nail-ends, wanting in all 

30 



scholastic or aristocratic pretence. 
He passed his hand corroboratively 
over Ta-yu's shoulder, to find the 
hardened evidence of the coolie's 
bamboo pole; he laughed at the 
thought of passport to the prom- 
ised land, and incontinently kicked 
poor Ta-yu off the premises. 

But Ta-yu's mind was made up. 
The Occident having developed 
an irresistible force, the Orient 
seemed to present an immovable 
body; yet Ta-yu swerved at this 
critical moment, swaying as does 
a reed before the tempest, and thus 
avoided any material injury. 

Ta-yu knew, by the testimony 
of his friend, the missionary, that 
he was seeking a land flowing with 
milk and honey; being once em- 

31 



barked on such a quest, he wisely- 
disregarded all such seemingly in- 
surmountable difficulties. Upon 
finding his small stock of money 
absurdly insufficient, all that he did 
to replenish it must be passed 
lightly over — detail would fill a 
volume. 

In Amoy, Canton, Hong Kong, 
Singapore, he labored as a boy, 
helping the silk-weavers work 
their clumsy foot-looms, and pull- 
ing up the warp in conformity 
with the pattern. Afterward, he 
screeched the warning ^^yaw-ch'^ 
of the sedan-coolie; then import- 
ing (with his savings) a Shanghai 
wheelbarrow he patiently pushed 
it, piled mountainously with long 
kaolang (millet) or boxes of poma- 

32 



toes. Soon the barrow became a 
jinriksha, which gave place to a 
sampan again. 

By judicious trading this saf- 
fron-colored Yankee of the East 
developed into a small merchant, 
collecting used tea-leaves, and 
adding dust, pickings, sweepings, 
colors and flavors. He existed 
meantime in some strange fashion, 
spending nothing, saving all; aban- 
doning all luxuries, even his be- 
loved whiff of opium, until his 
belt held the necessary amount for 
the long-deferred journey. 

Then, one deliriously-delightful 
day, Ta-yu, outwardly uncon- 
cerned, curled up for deck pas- 
sage, across the troubled Pacific, 
to Magna (America), ^^the beau- 

33 



tiful country." Almost within 
sight of the Golden Gate Ta-yu 
and sundry compatriots disap- 
peared. He reappeared, months 
after, across the Great Divide, 
glassy-eyed and worn to skin and 
bone; but still possessed of indom- 
itable perseverance, and with a 
fair-sized draft in his body-belt. 
Ta-yu flourished on what other 
men refused, filling the place of the 
one-time Irishman, the Italian, the 
Greek. He ate his rice and scraps 
philosophically, rarely washing it 
down with any substitute for the 
beloved sam-shu (whiskey) of his 
native land. For a time the sworn 
foe of his old companion of count- 
less generations, dirt, he drove it 
from its lurking places with puri- 

34 



fying tubs-full and spurts of water. 

Prospering where another 
would have starved, behold him 
at last a weazened veteran of thirty, 
indulging in the wiry, black mous- 
tache forbidden in his own coun- 
try until he was ten years older — 
a prosperous restaurant-keeper in 
a large city of the middle West, 

Ta-yu now sported all the 
bravery longed for in his toiling 
youth; silken raiment of gay col- 
oring, a lengthened cue, and thick 
felted slippers. His place was gay 
with gilding, tortuous carving, 
swinging lanterns, and a tall up- 
right "beckoning-board,'' on 
which was blazened Tien Tih Shen 
(celestial advantage combined with 
attention). In plum-colored silken 

35 



jacket, black crape breeches, 
white leggings and embroidered 
velvet shoes, he personified celes- 
tial prosperity under Uncle Sam's 
benignant rule; and was a power 
among his fellows. 

He began to feel the need of 
the barbarous English speech — 
with it possibilities would be in- 
creased tenfold; and, seeking to 
attain it, Ta-yu esteemed himself 
fortunate in making the acquaint- 
ance of that Christian young lady. 
Miss Myra Jones. Thus Ta-yu 
learned to know the native in his 
own joss-house. Miss Myra gave 
him individual attention in Sunday 
school, and taught him the alpha- 
bet. Speedily she formed designs 
against his heathen belief. If 

36 



Ta-yu suspected them, he dis- 
creetly held his tongue, and she 
hoped much from his respectful 
attention and absorbed interest. 

If only Miss Jones had not 
made that unfortunate present of 
a Noah's Ark, all might have been 
well. But who could anticipate 
that Ta-yu would so pervert the 
gift of a toy familiar to every one ? 
Fortunately, Miss Myra Jones 
never comprehended the mischief 
she had wrought so innocently. 
The heathen Chinee is peculiar — 
on the word of an accepted 
authority. 



37 




Chapter IV 

Ta-yu acquires some English^ 
also a little elemental Chin-' 
ography, including the fact 
that the seat of his affections 
<vjas not, as he had airways 
supposed it to be, in the li<ver, 

lyrYRA^S mother 
was seriously 
concerned over her 
daughter's accept- 
ance of the post of 
teacher to any hea- 
then, Tauist, Buddhist or 
Confucian — it mattered not 




39 



which; she did not attempt to dif- 
ferentiate them. The good lady's 
stock objection was: 

" If not the first, my dear, then 
he must be one of the others; and 
probably a shade worse.'' 

Myra smiled good-naturedly, 
replying : 

" Do you imagine, mamma, that 
Mr. Hamilton would permit me 
to run any risks such as you fear, 
if danger really existed? He as- 
sures me there is no possibility of 
leprosy, either of mind or body. 
Mr. Ta-yu never suggests to me 
that he has been gormandizing on 
shark-fin, rat or puppy — nor even 
on innocent bird's nests, which I 
believe to be very expensive." 

Mr. Hamilton, superintendent 

40 



of the Sunday school and senior- 
clerk in a stock-yards establish- 
ment, when appealed to by the anx- 
ious mother, promptly endorsed 
Myra's assertions, and volunteered 
his firm conviction that no con- 
tamination, spiritual or temporal, 
menaced her daughter. 

So soon as he was gone Myra 
found opportunity. 

"I am positively ashamed of 
you, mamma, making such un- 
friendly and indelicate suggestions 
to Mr. Hamilton. What will he 
think of us?'' 

^^Well, Myra,'' replied the 
matron, "no harm is done, so far. 
What he may think does not 
trouble me. You are as head- 
strong as your poor father was, 

41 



and must have your own way, I 
suppose. I wash my hands of the 
matter, and only hope nothing evil 
will come of it. The yellow ter- 
rier is awful to contemplate, and 
I am thankful that the govern- 
ment admits no more of it.'' 

Having thus inconsequentially 
disposed of the matter, Mrs. Jones 
buried herself again in the news- 
paper from which she derived 
increasingly wonderful concep- 
tions of the world around her, day 
by day; to which Myra was con- 
demned dutifully to listen. The 
mother resurrected herself once 
more to remark, in a tone of 
finality : 

^^Mr. Hamilton knows the 
world, and has a good position in 

42 



it. He is a model young man, 
Myra; I am pleased to arouse in 
him a little interest respecting 
your spiritual — and your temporal 
affairs, my dear/' 

The triumphant manner in 
which Mrs. Jones announced how 
well she had played her cards for- 
bade any further reference to the 
matter; so Myra, with heightened 
color, busied herself with house- 
hold duties, making no reply. 

The particular object which had 
brought John Hamilton to the 
Jones house, for the first time in 
his acquaintance with Myra, was 
some detail connected with a 
forthcoming Christmas "treat;'' 
and, happily, the ladies were soon 

43 



far too busy to approach delicate 
ground again. 

On retiring, Myra's last rebel- 
lious thought was, ^^Mr. Hamilton 
is a model young man. If mamma 
would only let things alone, and 
not indulge in leading remarks and 

suggestions, why ^^ and a 

young lady's why compasses the 
universe ! 

Of this conversation and its pos- 
sibilities Ta-yu had no conception. 
Otherwise he might not have 
prinked so much in joyful prepar- 
ation. Certainly he never dreamed 
that the heathen so completely 
could blot out the man as to make 
the latter practically non-existent; 
as a man, Ta-yu had been think- 
ing very seriously of late, although 

44 



not unpleasantly, judging by the 
occasional smile lurking in the 
covert of his rat-tailed moustache. 
Women, Ta-yu told himself, 
were a necessary evil, to be han- 
dled judiciously; to be v^eeded out 
and otherv^ise kept down, as at 
home, by infanticide and other 
simple expedients. He was mildly 
surprised to find that no equiva- 
lent methods for maintaining 
man's superiority existed in Uncle 
Sam's domains. Over his pipe he 
lamented that unwisdom which 
gave all license, absolute control, 
and self-possession, to the inferior 
half of creation. That women 
throve under these unnatural con- 
ditions he reluctantly admitted; 

45 



also that they were apparently the 
better for it. 

No bachelor, of whatever color 
or country, can long moralize re- 
specting the other sex without 
eventually considering that abstract 
entity, a woman, by itself. Ta-yu 
was greatly aided in reaching the 
customary channel, since he knew 
but one woman, and naturally 
turned toward her. 

Miss Jones, he reasoned, had 
shown him marked favor, unusual 
even in this land of freedom. She 
had exhibited a decided preference 
for his society, giving little heed 
even to that dandified young 
fellow-countryman of hers, super- 
intendent Hamilton. Her whole 
time was devoted to him, Ta-yu, 

46 



alone, during Sunday school 
hours. She expressed solicitude 
for his welfare and pride in his 
scholarship; and of late (delicious 
thought) had ventured on veiled 
allusions to his soul. Which soul 
— of his three — whether the one 
destined to reside in his ancestral 
tablet, that other which would 
linger in his grave, or the unlucky 
third, doomed to well-merited 
punishment in the infernal regions 
— which, was of very little import- 
ance. She had discussed himself 
with himself as never woman had 
before. If not interested in him, 
assuredly she would not. Ta-yu 
further possessed the comfortable 
knowledge that he was a man of 
substance, able to maintain a wife 

47 



suitably, and wanting only the 
wife. 

Physically, the oriental standard 
was not reached by Myra, as a 
matter of course. Too tall, over- 
topping himself sundry objection- 
able inches; the hair should have 
been raven black, not golden in 
the sunlight; her eyes were too 
wide open and not long enough, 
the eyebrows too straight, her 
cheeks sadly deficient in breadth. 
But she conformed to the stand- 
ards of her people. ^^Mith Myla 
Yones'' was undoubtedly a pretty 
girl, deserving the best attire he 
could don in her honor. 

Ta-yu's appearance created a 
marked sensation. As Myra ex- 
cused herself to Mr. Hamilton, 

48 



and hastened to greet this last ar- 
rival, the thought in her mind 
was, ^Veally, Ta-yu is rather good- 
looking — for a Chinaman.'' Bliss- 
fully unconscious of her qualified 
endorsement, Ta-yu beamed and 
kow-towed, enjoying some min- 
utes of animated conversation 
with his fair teacher. 

Without her inspiriting com- 
panionship time dragged insuffer- 
ably for Ta-yu, watching, sourly, 
the genial co-operation of super- 
intendent and teacher in distribut- 
ing gifts from the tree. The whole 
ceremony was sadly deficient in 
meaning to him. As the guests 
prepared to leave, their arms filled 
with mementoes, their tongues 
busy with the exchange of season- 

49 



able greetings, Ta-yu dolefully 
resumed his cap, and turned to go, 
overlooked and forgotten. 

'Ta-yu!'' whispered Mr. Ham- 
ilton warningly, "we are neglect- 
ing Ta-yu.'' 

At this, Myra snatched up the 
first thing that came to hand, a 
child's Noah's Ark, and pressed it 
upon him, thanked him warmly 
for coming, and watched him dis- 
appear in the outer darkness, hug- 
ging her gift, and comforted 
exceedingly thereby. 

From that small ark a huge 
rainbow was destined to grow, 
beautiful and intangible as a real 
one. Why was Ta-yu a man, as 
well as a heathen? 



50 




Chapter V 

Ta-yu disco'vers more symbolism 
in Miss Myra Jones' gift 
than njuas intended hy that 
young lady, 

TTPON reaching 
^^ his room, Ta- 
yu promptly un- 
wrapped his pack- 
age, staring in great 
perplexity at the ob- ^ 
ject disclosed. It 
was designed to rep- 
resent a house-boat or sampan; 
wholly unseaworthy from its build, 

51 



and more nearly resembling the 
floating palaces he had seen on 
great inland rivers in this country 
than any type he could recall else- 
where. Means of propulsion 
there were none, neither steam, 
sail nor oar. He pondered long 
the purpose of it, adjudging Miss 
Jones to be far too kindly and 
intelligent to have bestowed such 
an article at random, without fit- 
ness in the gift. 

Ta-yu smiled superciliously at 
the crude workmanship, while ad- 
miring its strong coloring, as he 
extracted vari-colored animals, one 
after the other, of strong family 
resemblance in shape and size. 
When all were arranged in a wide 

52 



half-circle about him, he sought 
inspiration in his never-failing 
hubble-bubble; contemplating en- 
quiringly his novel menagerie, as 
revealed through rifts of smoke. 

At last his attention was concen- 
trated upon Noah, Shem and his 
brothers, and their respective 
v^ives; speedily becoming riveted 
upon a certain familiarity of out- 
line. The hats undoubtedly were 
of Chinese pattern; the lathe had 
left tiny hollows at their tops, 
where a mandarin's button should 
have been placed. The high 
cheek-bones were distinctly Mon- 
golian; the long dresses, the 
ceremonial robes of officials; while 
the shorter figures, wasp-waisted 
and therefore female in intention, 

53 



exhibited no feet; which he 
imagined to be tiny and club- 
footed, like those of the great 
Chinese ladies. 

After all, Miss Jones' gift did 
exhibit evidence of design, and 
Ta-yu set resolutely to work to 
puzzle out the remaining elements 
of the problem before him. 

As a menial at Amoy he had 
been barred from preparation for, 
or taking part in, public examina- 
tions, but much of oral tradition 
was familiar to him. He was 
staggered to find how thoroughly 
informed Miss Myra must be, 
before venturing on so appropriate 
a token. 

Ta-yu had discovered a leaning 
toward symbolism on the part of 

54 



his American neighbors, as among 
his own people, shrewdly suspect- 
ing that Uncle Sam himself was 
but another such symbol or myth. 
At the theatre, a week earlier, he 
had stared open-eyed at the stage, 
discovering in the harlequinade 
another form of that myth of 
Paradise, which Miss Myra had 
so laboriously explained to him 
on successive Sundays. Harle- 
quin in spangles (the serpent or 
dragon) pursued luckless Eve 
(Columbine), Pantaloon (primitive 
man) striving to hinder him; and 
the evil one (Clown) enjoying the 
mishaps he contrived for them all. 
Ta-yu strove to make all this plain 
to Miss Myra on the following 
Sunday. But she could not in the 

55 



least comprehend him, and con- 
tented herself with the platitude 
that theatres themselves were 
wicked, and to be avoided; which, 
in turn, was quite beyond her 
pupil's understanding. 

Ta-yu thought, spoke, wrote — 
in his native tongue, in symbols ; 
and here was a whole table-full 
(monstrously Archaic most of 
them), for his especial benefit. 
How Miss Myra could have fath- 
omed so much, supposedly beyond 
her ken, he could not determine 
— but love will find a way. Here 
was the water-bufi^alo, to which 
Ta-yu himself, in the Chinese 
cycle, belonged. Here the benef- 
icent magpie and dog, as well as 
the evil cat and crow. 

56 



He ranged in order upon the 
table before him, the Fox, Keeper 
of the Seal; his excellency, the 
grasping cash Tiger; the white 
"spiritual'' Fowl; the heavenly- 
Dog; his mightiness, the holy- 
king, the Monkey; and many 
another strange creature, whose 
likeness he had seen in pictured 
representations of the colossal an- 
imal statues of the temple of 
GhingtsoOy among the wondrous 
Ming tombs near Nankow. Great 
birds there were too, half the size 
of elephants, but surely birds — or 
were they seated cats? 

The personal application, and 
full meaning deduced from them, 
came to him gradually. It grew 
to be a night) y habit, the day's 

57 



work done, to fasten the door of 
his room securely. Illuminating 
it brilliantly, he would bring forth 
the Ark^ spreading its contents 
wide before him ; no exegete ever 
gave Noah more attention. He 
studied them in countless combi- 
nations, as if they had been chess- 
men; and he, wholly ignorant of 
the game, was seeking to discover 
the powers and properties of the 
pieces, and the rules governing 
them. 

At last, Ta-yu established, to his 
own satisfaction, the far-reaching 
purport of the mysterious gift. 

He, Ta-yu, however deficient 
in biblical knowledge, knew his 
own catechism, or its equivalent, 

58 



fairly welL How the first princi- 
ple, Movingy produced Rest; from 
them, together, came All Things^ 
and, lastly. Perfect Men — fifty 
thousand years having been con- 
sumed in these processes, after the 
formation of Heaven and Earth, 
before Man appeared. Soon (as 
Ta-yu recalled) divine Fohi or Ya 
founded China, inventing dress- 
making, music, sacrifice at the 
solstices, symbolic writing, and 
dividing the year into ?>6b% days. 
His son, ShuUy the next emper- 
or, was followed by Yu, the great 
Ta-yUy from whom he himself 
derived his name; tracing a me- 
andering, traditional descent from 
him. Yu in nine years drained off^ 
the waters of the great flood; the 

59 



mighty inundation by the vast 
Yellow River, itself coeval with 
creation, 

Ta-yu remembered some casual 
reference to a flood by Miss Myra. 
A flood, when the Celestial King- 
dom possessed a record of sixty- 
three — sixty-three proofs of divine 
displeasure! 

Ages after, still in Ta-yu's tra- 
ditional line, came the great 
Meaou-Haou (emperor) Chow or 
Chou-suiy last of the Yin dynasty, 
who, with Ta-ke's assistance, first 
formed menageries of horses, 
dogs, rare animals and curious 
birds, and incidentally blessed a 
waiting world with chop-sticks. 

Piecing these facts and much 
beside together, like a true 

60 



Chinese puzzle, Miss Myra Jones* 
intention was now clear. 

The sampan itself stood for that 
treasured memory, "The Delight 
of My Soul/' doubtless still creep- 
ing over the waters between the 
inner and outer towns of that 
exceedingly dirty city, Amoy. 

The animals, two of each sort, 
male and female after their kind, 
conveyed a delicate hint — that it 
is not good to be alone. Of the 
human figures, also in pairs, two 
of larger size represented Tu and 
his prospective consort, with their 
suite indicative of prosperity. All 
others, biped and quadruped alike, 
implied vast dominion for Yu and 
his bride over many things, wild 
and domesticated. The rabbits 

61 



and chickens were already in evi- 
dence, housed securely in Ta-yu's 
back yard. 

Yuy forty centuries dead, could 
be naught but a symbol of living 
Ta-yu. The fair giver's wishes 
for Ta-yu's continued prosperity, 
her forethought in providing him 
with a helpmate, permitted but 
one conclusion; she would not be 
unwilling to share these blessings 
with him. 

Miss Jones had exhibited the 
most intimate knowledge of his 
pedigree, while gracefully omit- 
ting all allusion to luckless 
Chang-yu, still awaiting suitable 
interment, potted, his head 
between his knees. 

62 



The gift had become a deli- 
cately-veiled declaration of love. 

Radical changes in Ta-yu's 
personal appearance followed, 
transforming a not ill-looking 
Mongolian into a rather row^dyish 
and wholly common-place corner- 
loafer. His pig-tail, ruthlessly 
discarded, was coiled serpent-wise 
in a vacant corner of the treasured 
Ark. Flowing, flowered silks 
were replaced by an ill-fitting suit 
of *^hand-me-downs.'* Noisy, 
clumsy brogans succeeded to felt- 
padded velvet-embroidered clogs. 
The transformation was viewed 
with dismay by Miss Myra, who 
could not conceal her dissatisfac- 
tion with it. 

63 



Whatever scraps of sentiment, 
romance, poetry,there might have 
been in her conceptions of her 
oriental pupil disappeared with 
his silk cap and cue. The task 
of teaching him became irksome 
and distasteful. Ta-yu was un- 
pleasantly aware of a change that 
tied his nimble, clicking tongue, 
making him mute and sullen 
where he had been apt and alert. 

^^I coveted another man's horse 
and lost my own ox," thought 
Ta-yu, quoting a native proverb, 
as he essayed every explanation 
except the right one. Perhaps 
Uncle Sam is wise in refusing 
citizenship to one so incapable of 
assimilation, no matter how ar- 
dently Ta-yu desired it. 

64 






j-j»,^ 



ii 



'H\V| 



Chapter VI 

Ta-yu knonvs not that lo^e is 
blind, 'while pro'ving the 
truth of the adage by his 
oivn sad experience, 

^^TS it possible? 

^ My old friend, 
Noah, one hundred 
and twenty times 
removed, isn't it? 
How is it with 
you, Ta-yu, 
and with all 
the good 
people of Amoyf' 

This greeting surprised Ta- 

65 



i^i 



"^H 



-f 



-m 



:v,fj^i>= 



yu, 



a few weeks later, upon his punc- 
tual arrival at Sunday school. His 
old acquaintance, the missionary, 
had made a flying trip home, to 
greet old friends; and, for the good 
of the cause, to exploit his experi- 
ences in distant lands. The rev- 
erend Thomas Kitcat's patriotism 
was effusive as ever, and rather 
difficult to explain; since he was 
originally a foundling, and in- 
debted, for a provoking surname, 
to the questionable humor of a 
supervisor. He was pleased to 
discover in Ta-yu an example 
ready to hand, to aid him on the 
lecture-platform, and otherwise 
illustrate his points. 

In abandoning his picturesque 
dress and customs, however, Ta-yu 

66 



had almost destroyed his own use- 
fulness in these particulars. He 
grieved his old friend by emphat- 
ically refusing to resume them, 
even temporarily. Mr. Kitcat 
regretted changes he could neither 
control nor account for, on more 
intimate acquaintance with his 
old-time protege and ferryman. 

Ta-yu was not disposed to pose 
either as a horrible example (ethic- 
ally considered) or a brand 
snatched from the burning. In 
some respects, his practical knowl- 
edge exceeded that of his would- 
be patron; and he had, as already 
indicated, a strong incentive to 
assert himself as a man and a 
brother. As the dime to the 
dollar, so did Ta-yu, one-time 

67 



cooley of Amoy, compare with 
the almost-offensively prosperous 
Mr. Ta-yu of today. 

Mr. Kitcat was justified in 
thinking himself something of a 
personator, and his strong card 
was — ^'opium, costly, baneful, 
deadly,'' as he customarily closed 
his peroration. 

Kitcat could, and did, look 
pallid, glare, shrug his shoulders 
up, draw his head down, and other- 
wise reproduce an ^^opium deviF' 
very passably; creating a peculiar 
thrill in an audience, agreeable to 
them and gratifying to himself. 
He could manipulate an opium- 
outfit in pantomimic representa- 
tion of its use, ^^hitting the pipe'' as 
well as could anyone not supplied 

68 



with the ''dope'' itself. He dwelt 
upon the after-sneezings and gap- 
ings and gripings; he so compared 
vices as to make indulgence in 
liquor comparatively respectable, 
and almost commendable; he em- 
phasized striking resemblances 
between Chinese customs and 
those in the Scriptures; he expati- 
ated upon the value of the Native 
Helper. It was provoking to find 
that the one native on the spot 
was unable or unwilling to testify 
to the truth of these statements. 

The missionary was hurt by 
Ta-yu's indifference; he repeated 
to John Hamilton, in Miss Jones' 
hearing, his regret at Ta-yu's un- 
willingness to aid him. Ta-yu, 
suspecting he was thus discussed, 

69 



resented it by increased churlish- 
ness and indisposition to please. 
Finally, he became irregular in 
attendance on Sundays, and the 
missionary hunted him up. 

Mr. Kitcat found that the 
Chinaman had disposed of his 
restaurant, and he followed Ta-yu 
to a laundry in the stockyards 
district, some miles away. Ta-yu 
was unkempt and in native cos- 
tume again, but for a squat derby 
hat that covered the spot where 
the cue had been. 

In discussing his visit afterward 
with young Hamilton, the rever- 
end gentleman admitted that the 
situation was beyond him; and 
hinted at some mild hallucination, 
or at least absurdities and incon- 

70 



sistencies, indulged in by Ta-yu. 
He concluded, 

"I shall keep track of him, 
Hamilton. He interested me in 
the long ago, and now he is a 
puzzle I am not inclined to give 
up. Ta-yu has abandoned a pros- 
perous eating-house, which he 
had been neglecting for some 
time. Now he mopes, and pays 
little attention to his business.'' 

John Hamilton accompanied 
the missionary on his next call, 
but was received with scant civil- 
ity, so he did not repeat his visit. 
Mr. Kitcat slowly recovered some 
of the old-time ascendency, being 
at last invited into Ta-yu's own 
room. Here he discovered some 
singular developments. 

71 



Besides the customary furnish- 
ings, meager and absurdly insuffi- 
cient, there were decorations, 
Ta-yu's own handiwork, that 
repaid investigation, they were so 
decidedly unusual. 

The sampan, the Noah's Ark, 
and its contents, were the princi- 
pal features in a sort of shrine 
covering one of the longer walls. 
Evidently constructed with loving 
care, of costly materials, it held 
Kitcafs attention from the moment 
he first saw it. In Chinese charac- 
ters were sundry mottoes and 
proverbs, on long upright scrolls 
of red silk; and beneath a tiny 
central ornament, daintily carven, 
were the words, ^^, celestial 
woman. This was a small wooden 

72 



figure, richly dressed in brocaded 
silks, minute in detail, represent- 
ing a Chinese lady of the upper 
classes. An odd blunder, as Kitcat 
decided, was the distinct European 
cast of features — ^^Quite a passable 
likeness to a little teacher I re- 
member at the Sunday school,'" 
thought Kitcat. Had he known 
it to be the work of Ta-yu's own 
hands, and that its core, or ground- 
work, was that identical and very 
wooden female, the wife of Noah, 
Kitcat's surprise would have been 
greater. 

At the feet of the little lady 
stood Tseang-kueriy ^^pacificator of 
the seas,'' a fashionably-attired 
Chinese gentleman in the latest 
mode, his features modeled after 

73 



Ta-yu's own — for the base of this 
figure Noah himself had been 
employed. 

In costly intricacies of teak- 
wood carving, skilfully touched 
with gold and colors, were nu- 
merous other fantastic figures of 
men, women and animals, each a 
type, and with an interpretation 
befitting Ta-yu's earlier Buddhis- 
tic leanings, Kitcat saw at a glance. 
Not until afterward did he learn 
that all these various figures had 
been the original tenants of that 
wooden Ark, whose receipt had 
temporarily worked such havoc 
with Ta-yu's aff^ections and for- 
tunes, and which had been treated 
by their owner in a fashion pecu- 
liarly his own. 

74 



The actual investment of skill, 
time and money in this singular 
arrangement of cabinets, oriental 
brackets and shelves; in the shrine 
itself, its lanterns and incense- 
burners; harmoniously interwoven 
in a tracery of ivory, precious 
metals, rare woods and mother- 
of-pearl — ^would alone represent 
more than the difference between 
Ta-yu's former opulence and his 
present reduced circumstances. 

On subsequent visits Mr. Kitcat 
learned how many of these unique 
effects had been produced. The 
original lines of the Ark were 
maintained, although now covered 
and inlaid with ebony, ivory, silver 
and shell; and the visitor ventured 

75 



on suggestive enquiry, being per- 
mitted to witness the transforma- 
tion of the last piece yet to be 
treated, a camel, whose clumsy 
outlines made its origin unmistak- 
able. 

Ta-yu had dipped it, like all the 
others, successively in tiny pots of 
thick varnish and paints of diverse 
colors, drying it thoroughly after 
each dip; and now, at his friend's 
invitation, resumed active work 
upon it. With delicate tools and 
fingers possessed of a marvelous 
cunning, Ta-yu cut through the 
overlapping layers of enamel, as 
if carving a cameo, until the con- 
trasting colors and delicate out- 
lines had transformed a child's 
uncouth plaything into an unique 

76 



work of art, accurate in every 
detail, finished like a jewel. 

The patient, painstaking labor, 
and its wholly useless, however 
beautiful, results, interested the 
missionary, too familiar with 
oriental temperaments and meth- 
ods to question where confidence 
was withheld. He perceived that 
there was a connection, a vital 
one, between this slow and costly 
undertaking and the great change 
that had come over the man, Ta- 
yu himself. Especially was this 
noticeable, when this last remain- 
ing figure was placed in its waiting 
niche, the shrine completed, and a 
gray apathy seized its designer. 
He gazed at his work with body 
drooped, head down, through 

77 



eyes half-shut and bleared from 
intense application; while his 
sinewy yellow hands hung listless 
with half-curved, claw-like 
fingers, from which the tool 
clattered unheeded to the floor. 

Failing to rouse Ta-yu at this 
time, Kitcat took his leave, 
resolved to call again the sooner 
and more frequently, since he felt 
the influence of some strong and 
very human passion dominating 
this once ambitious alien; now 
almost a child again, since his 
self-imposed task was accom- 
plished, and nothing further could 
move him just now. 

Myra Jones, as she glances at 
her handsome husband, feels that 
she has particular reason to be 

78 



thankful to the reverend Mr. 
Kitcat for the resolve he then 
made, and for the manner in 
which he carried it out. 



79 




Chapter VII 

Ta-yu disconcerts his friends; 
but he makes overtures to 
Charon, the domesticated 
<Tvater' buffalo, 'which are 
graciously entertained. 

TV/TYRA could not 
forget her 
bright ex-pupil and 
devoted servitor, Ta- 
yu, mourning his 
defection, and con- 
fessing to her mother 
that she felt hurt at 
his ingratitude. 




'My child,'' commented Mrs. 



81 



Jones, ''I consider it fortunate 
that you see less of him; Ta-yu 
has his place in the scheme of 
creation, no doubt. He was en- 
tirely out of place in any contact 
or association with my daughter/' 

Had she been less discreet, Mrs. 
Jones would have admitted her 
gratification at the turn affairs had 
taken. Ta-yu's sole value to 
Myra, in her mother's belief, was 
because he had chanced to create 
and cement a cordial understand- 
ing between Myra and John 
Hamilton. This condition was 
now firmly established, and might 
develop, the mother hoped, into a 
closer tie. She could afford to be 
magnanimous, so continued, 

^'Why the man left as he did, 

82 



and when he did, I never could 
understand, could you, dear?'' 

^^No, mamma. Ta-yu was de- 
voted to the school, and making 
excellent progress. He was show- 
ing increased pride in himself also 
— you remember how richly 
dressed he was at the Christmas 
gathering? He looked almost 
handsome." 

Mrs. Jones' sniff was susceptible 
of various interpretations. Myra 
construed it as conveying consent, 
and went on, 

"Then, all at once, he sacrificed 
his cue, dressed in a hideously- 
commonplace way, acted quite 
unlike himself, and ended by 
dropping attendance altogether. 
I should much like to know 

83 



what it all means. What is your 
opinion, Mr. Kitcat?" 

The latter found it difficult to 
offer any solution, 

'^These superficial changes are 
evidence of a more radical and 
deep-seated one, and the Mongo- 
lian is utterly opposed to change. 
But there is some mystery in his 
behavior vv^hich I cannot fathom, 
unless offense should have been 
given or his prejudices outraged 
by some one ignorant of their 



existence." 



Put on their mettle by this sug- 
gestion, both ladies promptly 
disavowed any such action. They 
went over sundry trivial happen- 
ings connected with Ta-yu, no 
one of which warranted this as- 

84 



sumption, as they decided, until 
interrupted by Mr. Kitcat. 

^^You gave Ta-yu a Noah's 
Ark, Miss Myra. Why, pray?'' 

She laughed. 

'^He had been overlooked in 
the distribution of gifts, and I 
picked up almost the first thing 
that came to hand." 

"A most inappropriate gift, 
Myra," said her mother, severely. 
"A child's toy to a man! You 
forgot that, w^hile teaching him 
words of one syllable, he is never- 
theless far older than you. I am 
afraid she may have hurt his feel- 
ings, aren't you, Mr. Kitcat?" 

The missionary was in a brown 
study, but roused himself to say, 
"Yes," he was sorry to say that 

85 



"Ta-yu's feelings might have been 
hurt by the gift." But he was 
emphatically opposed to any at- 
tempt at explanation. 

''No/' said he, ''the less said the 
sooner mended. To undertake 
to explain would only create a 
possibility of greater complica- 
tions. The people of the two 
hemispheres do not think alike.'" 

Kitcat pondered, on his way 
home, all the consequences of 
Myra's unlucky gift — Ta-yu's 
grave misconception, the house 
he had builded upon the sands. 

"So,'' said Kitcat, aloud, ''she is 
the celestial female^ and hence the 
likeness I discover. Well, I see 
no help for it, now. Why will 
people feed monkeys with pea- 

86 



nuts? Poor, foolish Ta-yu! I 
hope the incident is ended, and 
that no further harm may come 
of it." 

When next calling upon Ta-yu, 
Mr. Kitcat fancied that he had 
passed him, loitering at an alley's 
mouth, on the watch, yet seeking 
to avoid observation. His suspi- 
cion became certainty when, upon 
arrival at Ta-yu's laundry, he 
found the owner absent. The 
door was unlocked and the visitor 
passed on upstairs into the shrine- 
room. The air was thick with 
incense, otherwise all seemed as 
before. Looking about, Kitcat 
noticed a small heap of feathery 
ash upon the centre table ; more 

87 



ashes were scattered at the feet of 
the celestial woman. 

Knowing how very cleanly 
Ta-yu was in his habits, he sought 
for some explanation of this dis- 
order. Kitcat's long residence 
among alien races had taught him 
the value of close observation and 
ever-present watchfulness; noth- 
ing was a trifle, he had learned, 
until fully comprehended. In 
momentary expectation of Ta-yu's 
return, and appreciating how 
undignified his own position 
would be, how lame his explana- 
tion, if caught prying, he never- 
theless set the door ajar to have 
warning of Ta-yu's approach by 
the creaking stair, and pursued 
his investigations. His friends 



might be gainers by anything he 
should happen upon. 

At a corner of the table, on 
which was the little heap of ashes, 
was a stout bundle of yellow 
papers, each sheet a little smaller 
than a dollar-bill, and bearing a 
rude representation of two animal 
heads, those of a buffalo and of a 
dog. 

At sight of these slips Kitcat 
whirled about, intently regarding 
the shrine and its central goddess. 
The incense-sticks had been very 
recently cared for, and were so 
numerous that their dense vapors 
deadened the light of a half-dozen 
blazing candles. 

The reverend investigator ap- 
peared to have discovered that of 

89 



which he was in search. He 
seemed no longer in doubt, but 
blew out all the candles rapidly- 
one after the other, and pinched 
and so snuffed out the incense- 
sticks. He glanced about to feel 
assured that he had left no other 
evidence of his visit, and hastily 
left the house, carefully closing 
the door behind him. 

He did not go in the direction 
of the street-car line for home, 
but toward Hamilton's office, 
where that gentleman, as he had 
anticipated, was getting ready to 
leave. 

^^Ah, John," said he, "I was 
close by, on business, and hoped 
to catch you in season to enjoy 

90 



your company on the journey 
home/' 

They sallied out together. 

In passing the alley, where 
Kitcat had caught a glimpse of 
the Chinaman, he looked keenly 
but covertly about, and surprised 
Ta-yu noiselessly approaching 
them. In the act of greeting, 
Ta-yu stumbled clumsily, and 
reaching out for support in the 
effort to keep his balance, he 
grabbed Hamilton's coat with his 
clawing hands. These were dirty, 
and left ashen smears where Ta-yu 
had clutched at Hamilton's cloth- 
ing. He apologized promptly, 
but Kitcat turned about, lifting 
the soiled garment, and ostenta- 

91 



tiously wiped it with his handker- 
chief. 

''You must be more careful, 
Ta-yu/' cried Kitcat, sharply. 
"Mr. Hamilton might not have 
noticed how careless you were. 
We are not in China, remember.'' 

He was rewarded with a look 
of indescribable malevolence, 
which disappeared instantly, as 
Ta-yu apologized abjectly, and 
then left them. 

''You were severe, Mr. Kitcat," 
said Hamilton, pleasantly. "Ac- 
cidents cannot be avoided, and 
Ta-yu has been most polite.'' 

"I accept a Chinaman's polite- 
ness as a matter of course," replied 
the clergyman. "I spoke as I did, 
for the effect upon him.'' 

92 



'*Oh, surely/' replied the other. 

Mr. Kitcat decided not to en- 
lighten his companion as to his 
own explanation of Ta-yu's action. 
He feared to make himself ridic- 
ulous, and doubted whether his 
friend would believe him. That 
Ta-yu had a perfect understanding 
Kitcat felt assured. 

The fatal charm, daubed upon 
an enemy's clothing, and designed 
to affect his health, his mental 
condition, even his life, would be 
powerless, in Ta-yu's belief, since 
his intended victim had been 
made aware of his purpose. Kit- 
cat's action was to impress that 
fact upon the Chinaman, to make 
Ta-yu comprehend that his evil 
intention was known. Ta-yu 

93 



would now fear its recoil upon 
his own devoted head, with all 
attendant evils, and might not 
make any further attempts. 

Kitcat dismissed the incident by 
quoting the Chinese proverb, ^^the 
magpie's voice is good, but his 
heart is bad,'' striving to impress 
Hamilton with the need for 
caution. 

John laughed at him, as he had 
expected. 

^^Why, Mr. Kitcat, Ta-yu 
would not harm a mouse — unless 
he was very hungry !'' 

He went on to tell how the 
lonely Chinaman, at first tor- 
mented, and even in danger of 
rough treatment, had, by his un- 
varying good nature and manifest 

94 



friendliness, won the good will of 
the brawny fellows at the yards; 
until now they assumed a certain 
protectorate over him, *^and it 
would go hard with anyone doing 
Ta-yu a mischief/' 

/' He will watch outdoor opera- 
tions by the hour together. Sheep, 
you know, are especially stubborn 
to lead. Sometimes the men 
endeavor to stir up a pen-full into 
spirals; and, if the gate be opened 
at the right moment, they will 
follow a goat, as leader, wherever 
wanted. The goat is a never- 
failing attraction to Ta-yu; but 
after he had bowled the China- 
man over a couple of times, they 
were less friendly. 

95 



^^Then the great trained steer, 
Charon, who conducts his witless 
comrades along the runways and 
up the slopes, deftly turning aside 
at the right moment, while they 
rush on, heedless and confident, 
to death and dismemberment — 
Ta-yu has struck up quite a friend- 
ship with him, and seems never to 
tire of watching and admiring 
Charon's tactics/' 

All of which seemed very for- 
eign to any possibilities for evil, 
but Mr. Kitcat's suspicions, once 
aroused, would not down, and he 
thought with grim satisfaction of 
Ta-yu's return to his desecrated 
shrine, the incense-sticks out and 
the candles dead. 

96 



Chapter VIII 

Ta-yu meditates full and s^weet 
revenge upon his successful 
ri'val. 




lyTRS. JONES 
was, for once, 
very near the truth 
in her surmises. In 
various ways it had 
become known to 
Ta-yu that he had 
been juggled (as he 
phrased it) into be- 
lieving that a child's toy was an 
emblem of love; and John Ham- 

97 



ilton, innocently enough, was 
responsible for Ta-yu's enlighten- 
ment. Ta-yu felt proportionately 
insulted ; for had he not, when he 
became a man, put away childish 
things? That Myra, herself, 
whom he credited, rightfully, with 
delicacy, should so play upon his 
feelings, as he imagined, and stab 
him through his most exalted 
emotion, his hopeless passion for 
herself, was a cruel addition to his 
woes. 

Ta-yu abandoned Christian as- 
sociations altogether, and brooded 
half the night before the monu- 
mental shrine. He had made no 
attempt to relight or perfume it, 
since he had returned to find it 
dark, after his unsuccessful at- 

98 



tempt upon John Hamilton. At 
times he would shake his fist at 
the ''celestial woman/' and hurl 
invective at her. 

^'Oh, thou that hast the mouth 
of Buddha, but the heart of a 
serpent, may fish be thy coffin 
and w^ater thy grave; on the 
mountains may est thou meet with 
tigers, and on the plains may the 
crows devour thee!'' 

His own people have a saying, 
that their ^^mouths are exceed- 
ingly filthy,'' and Ta-yu, when in 
this mood, fully justified it. 

At times he would kneel peni- 
tently, asking forgiveness humbly, 
as if the tiny wooden image were 
herself. Truly, he was hard hit, 
from sheer ignorance and inability 

99 



to understand or assimilate occi- 
dental methods. Ignorance of 
the law excuses no one. And, 
while by this time well aware that 
he was supplanted in Miss Myra's 
good graces by John Hamilton, 
Ta-yu met that young gentle- 
man frequently, without any 
exhibition of malice, and with 
respectful, friendly greetings that 
won cordial recognition. 

Once, when Ta-yu was admir- 
ing the great steer, Charon, at his 
peculiar work, Hamilton was 
passing through the yards, and 
paused beside him. A steep run- 
way zigzagged with easy turns 
from the ground level to a fifth 
floor where were the killing- 
rooms. The whole contrivance, 

100 



while seemingly insecure, was 
braced with broad beams and 
stout oaken timbers. The dense 
air was befogged with the foul 
odors of steaming blood; belching 
tanks were clouded with smoke 
and steam, through which the 
veteran steer trotted, leading his 
fellows to the Elysian fields. 

Hamilton, as he stood there, 
was reminded, in some odd way, 
of his last summer's vacation, and 
told Ta-yu of a narrow, precip- 
itous village-street in the far 
Azores. How, long ago, pirates 
landed, drove all before them, and 
were battering down doors, when 
a crafty herdsman drove the 
homing cattle down upon them, 
with ever increasing and deadly 

101 



speed, until the trapped marauders 
lay crushed and mangled beneath 
the avenging hoofs in the fatal 
cul de sac. To which Ta-yu 
listened with glistening eyes and 
breathless interest. 

Another time, Hamilton came 
up behind Ta-yu, who was staring 
into a school-store window at a 
very small Noah's Ark; so, finding 
him interested, Hamilton went 
inside, and they examined the 
simple toy together. Hamilton 
was able, by pantomime, to make 
plain to him how great, wooden 
circles were turned upon the lathe, 
whose cross section, sliced, exhib- 
ited the outlines of an animal, 
that required but a tail and a dip 
into a paint pot to complete it. 

102 



So Ta-yu learned that his treas- 
ured gift of great price was but a 
cheap, common, machine-made 
toy, illustrating a biblical story, 
and in no way connected with his 
own remarkable ancestry; his dis- 
illusionment was accomplished. 
He promply refused Hamilton's 
peace-offering, the little ark that 
had so interested him, which John, 
ignorant of any similar gift, had 
offered. Ta-yu decided, on the 
spot, that one was as bad as the 
other. 

Hamilton proposed to ask why 
Ta-yu had abandoned his teacher, 
hoping to reawaken his interest, 
but no convenient opportunity 
presented itself. H e casually men- 
tioned these chance encounters to 

103 



Mr. Kitcat, with the intention of 
convincing the latter that his 
warning was far-fetched and un- 
called for. The clergyman listened 
with grave interest, especially at 
mention of the Ark; and he ven- 
tured a query which established 
that Hamilton knew nothing as to 
Myra's gift, and its evil effect upon 
Ta-yu's fortunes. 

Mr. Kitcat dismissed various 
ideas as impracticable, until he hit 
upon a recommendation to Ta-yu 
to return to his native land. 
There was some social recogni- 
tion possible for him there now, 
he told him, and, even in his re- 
duced circumstances, Ta-yu could 
pose among his old-time fellows 

104 



as a magnate, a man of experience 
and wide knowledge of the world. 

When all this was recited to 
Ta-yu, and he turned a deaf ear, 
Kitcat tried another tack. He 
referred to Ta-yu's father, Chang- 
yu, still awaiting fitting burial, and 
offered to furnish the necessary 
funds, if the other did not possess 
them. Ta-yu listened respectfully 
as ever; his eyes shone; once a big 
tear rolled down his cheek, and 
splashed unheeded on the back of 
his clenched hand. But Ta-yu 
declined this, and all other recom- 
mendations, compelling Mr. Kit- 
cat to realize that he must let 
matters take their course. 

Kitcat was sorry for his own 
failure. Ta-yu seemed on the 

105 



verge of collapse, physical and 
mental; and, so far as the mission- 
ary understood the situation, de- 
served and received his hearty 
sympathy. He feared the results 
of the struggle upon the man 
himself, and also that his ill-regu- 
lated, almost unbalanced mind 
might lead him to seek revenge 
upon his enemies, could he find 
a v^ay. 

Single-handed, and dreading he 
knev^ not what, Kitcat w^aited and 
watched. He knew that Ta-yu 
had indulged in one absurd at- 
tempt at revenge, and something 
more serious might confront them 
at any moment. 

In his perplexity he told Ham- 
ilton just what the previous at- 

106 



tempt had been, but did not make 
the least impression. Hamilton 
likened it to ''fetich/' and pooh- 
poohed the thought of any possi- 
ble harm to himself. Myra was 
not referred to by either, at this 
time or in this connection, Ta- 
yu's infatuation was too monstrous 
and impossible for John Hamilton 
or the object of Ta-yu's affections 
to dream of the existence of such 
a sentiment. 



107 




Ta-yu summons Charon to his 
assistance, and empties his 
Noah's Ark, 



q^A-YU^S condi- 
-*■ tion demanded 
expert treatment. 
An added evil was 
his loneliness, living 
apart from his fellow 
countrymen, and not 
courting nor accept- 
ing any social rela- 
tions. His own people, those who 
were orthodox, resented his indif- 

109 



ference to them in his prosperous 
days, and condemned his depar- 
tures from national usage in dress, 
habits and diet; while Sam-kin, 
chief among ^^the religious ban- 
ditti of depraved ethics" (the 
reformers), denounced Ta-yu as 
chok-kuy neither fat nor lean; largely 
because Sam-kin failed to under- 
stand him. 

To defy classification is an un- 
pardonable sin; his abandonment 
of a prosperous business also was 
looked upon with suspicion. Some 
questioned his mental condition — 
his heart (the seat of intellect) was 
affected; his kidneys weak, and 
their attribute, wisdom, wanting. 

So Ta-yu pottered and mooned 
about, victim of a hopeless attach- 
no 



ment, impossible of realization as 
if he were crying for the moon; 
which he knew, making matters 
worse. But one passion, with 
any hope of fruition, remained — 
revenge; and the anticipation of 
this sustained him, keeping body 
and souls (all four) together. He 
could not determine whether 
vengeance should be wreaked on 
the friend who had supplanted him, 
succeeding where he had failed, 
or on the woman, the object of 
his regard. His little business 
dwindled under neglect; often he 
went hungry, scarce conscious of 
it; he wandered aimlessly about; 
but in whatever direction he 
chanced to go, his goal was ever 
the same — the fence against which 
111 



he would loll, overlooking the 
great steer, Charon's, field of oper- 
ation. 

For Charon attracted him in 
many ways. His majestic pro- 
portions and lordly bearing, his 
immunity from the fate of his 
kind, conferring immortality upon 
him; his great curving horns, of 
a six-foot spread from point to 
point; his indifference to the fate 
of others, and his treacherous 
handling of them — all drew Ta-yu, 
whose ^'patron" was the buffalo, 
and this huge beast to him naught 
but a domesticated water-buffalo, 
a monarch among them ; and he, 
Ta-yu, a friend of Caesar's. 

Ta-yu courted him, offered 
sugar and other tit-bits to him, 

112 



and was endured by the magnani- 
mous monster, suffered to pet him 
and to serve his humors. The 
insignificant, shriveled biped 
suffered by contrast w^ith the 
other's magnificent lines. But 
this thought never occurred to 
Ta-yu, v^ho gloried in Charon's 
strength as though it were one of 
his own attributes, and in his 
superiority to his four-footed fel- 
lows as a patent of nobility con- 
ferred by himself, poor starveling. 
Charon would sweep into com- 
mand before an incoming drove 
(that hesitated in dread of evil 
sights and cruel martyrdom), and 
so confidently lead the way, with 
devouring stride and sweep of 
lordly limb, that they would fall in 

113 



behind, and trot happily after, up 
and up ; until they would seek to 
stop, troubled at their leader's dis- 
appearance. Charon had stepped 
to one side, in a stall-like widening 
of the upward timber path, 
affording standing room for him- 
self alone, while the blind ruck 
behind him swept his hesitating 
comrades full into the reeking 
shambles. 

Hamilton, in passing, hailed 
Ta-yu with 

''Grand old fellow, isn't he, 
Ta-yu? By the way, your old 
teacher. Miss Myra, is coming 
out today, and I shall show her 
some of the processes. I hope we 
may run across you again." 

114 



Coming here ! Today, and 
with him ! In an instant a possible 
plan of action was clear, as if so 
ordered from the beginning. 
Would the adverse Fates be kind 
for once? These millions of 
animal lives annually sacrificed 
here, millions of money expended 
in buildings and plants, the tens 
of thousands employed here, were 
thereafter merely units in a scheme 
for revenge that should fittingly 
end the tragedy. After Ta-yu, 
the deluge ! The clouds encom- 
passing him, for such a weary 
while, were clearing. Heaven 
was past; but Hell beckoned, and 
should not be disappointed in the 
chosen one, Ta-yu of Amoy. 

115 



How? Well, he could not 
exactly tell, he admitted wearily. 
That would be arranged, like all 
things else under the sun. The 
tools were there, he but another 
instrument. And now was the 
appointed time! He must have 
lost his senses temporarily, here- 
abouts, for all knowledge of time, 
space and surroundings disap- 
peared. He was dimly conscious 
of being flung contemptuously 
aside, the splashes of warm, liquid 
filth reminding him somehow of 
that early experience in distant 
Amoy. 

Now he was aware of a colossal 
blood-soaked biped, again of a 
superior, roaring horned-monster! 
Hieng Tieng Siong Ta, the King 

116 



of the Sombre Heavens, favored 
him, at last! Red, the color of 
joy, of good, flared all about him. 
The heavens were scarlet, the 
walls ensanguined, the pools 
through which he splashed bore 
the same tint — the voice of his 
four-footed brethren's blood called 
to him from the ground. It suf- 
fused his eyes, a fitting carnival of 
clotting gore! 

Then, for a brief space, he saw 
clearly. Beneath him walked 
Myra, leaning confidingly on John 
Hamilton's arm. Dainty skirts 
were lifted, to avoid contamina- 
tion ; but their heads were in the 
upper heavens, they were con- 
scious of no one save themselves. 
A look of happiness was in her 

117 



eyes as she raised them fondly to 
rest upon her lover's face; su- 
premely content, anywhere, since 
he was with her — a look that 
drove Ta-yu mad again; since it 
never could be for him, often as 
he had dreamed of it. 

Next, Ta-yu was dimly conscious 
of majestic Charon sweeping past 
him, leading trusting companions 
to their certain doom, and threat- 
ening crazed, crouching Ta-yu 
with heedless, trampling hoofs as 
they swirled by. 

A glimpse of God's fair sun- 
shine once more — and there, far 
below him, John Hamilton stood, 
on the timbered zigzag, alone. 
Above the place, where Hamilton 
stood, climbed high the tortuous, 

118 



dizzy runway; below — a long, 
long distance, lay safety. 

On the instant, Ta-yu was 
flying, climbing; snarling like a 
wild beast as he ran; bent nearly 
double. Ta-yu, or what had been 
he, now remorseless, ruthless, a 
fiend incarnate, reached Charon, 
smoothed the great beast's side, 
mimicked the familiar word of 
command, and the steer turned 
for the descent. Ta-yu now 
rained cruel blows upon him; the 
walk became a trot, a gallop, a 
rush ever increasing in speed 
adown the precipitous pathway. 

Charon dashed through his 
climbing mates, arrested, turned 
them, like another Sheridan at 
Winchester — and they came, an 

119 



awful avalanche, insensate, irre- 
sistible as runaway locomotives; 
the monster leading, themselves 
compact behind. They dashed 
madly down, to sweep the fated 
spot whereon stood — Ta-yu could 
scarce believe his eyes — Myra! 

Not John, his accursed rival 
and false friend, but Myra! Di- 
rectly in the path of that sudden 
death streaming down upon her, 
loosed by his own hand! And he 
loved her! 

Ta-yu was over the rail, in a 
twinkling; dropping, falling, cling- 
ing momentarily like a cat, now 
shooting downward again like a 
plummet, gripping the supporting 
timbers until he was well below 

120 



her; then over the fence again, 
like a flash, beside her. 

He had her up on the fence 
rail, gripping it hard, as that mighty 
medley of bloodshot eyes and drip- 
ping tongues, of protruding horns 
and stiffened tails — like an army 
with lances and banners— swept 
past with thundering hoofs. Faint 
and sick she clung there, to be re- 
joined a moment later by John, 
speechless with alarm. 

At their feet a mangled, awful 
thing showed faint signs of life. 
Tremors shook it, strange, choked, 
gurgling moans exuded from it. 
Ta-yu's remaining semblance to 
humanity was small. 

^^He has given his life for you, 
Myra,^' said John, brokenly. 

121 



''Privilege and opportunity were 
his. He took them greedily, as I 
would have done/' 



122 




Chapter X 

Ta-yu realizes that Death is the 
Reckoning of Hea^ven^ 

'^TTE cannot last 
long; nothing 
material can be done 
for him/' was the med- 
ical opinion, tendered 
at first glance. "'It is 
a wonder that life re- 
mains at all/' 

So the patrol-wagon 
deposited Ta-yu at his 
own door, and there was carried 
up the tortuous stairway, head- 

123 







foremost, a something destined 
speedily to repeat the journey, 
feet-first. 

For hours, life flickered — the 
surgeon alone had occupation, 
Mr. Kitcat and John Hamilton 
sat silent the while; the latter 
making frequent visits, where 
Myra waited for tidings. 

Then, appealing fingers and an 
indication of vague desire in the 
one unbandaged eye, seeking 
something unknown to the 
watchers beside the cot. All at 
once Kitcat signed to John, the 
doctor nodded approval, the cot 
was lifted bodily and placed so 
that its accupant might look upon 
the shrine. Quiet for a time, the 
fluttering began again, oddly sug- 

124 



gestive of a singed moth's move- 
ments, in the semi-obscurity of 
the guttering candle-flame. 

Whispers, and again nodded 
assent. The remaining candles 
were lighted, while the incense- 
sticks smoldered and spat start- 
lingly in the quietude of the sick 
room. 

^'Countenancing idolatry, I am 
afraid,'' murmured the missionary, 
''but, if it eases him — it is part of 
the medical treatment." 

Soon he was uneasy once more, 
perplexing the watchers; until 
John left the room, returning, 
leading Myra by the hand. The 
mutilated form lay quiescent dur- 
ing his absence, then shook with 

125 



feeble efforts to raise itself upon 
the pallet, the face transformed. 

Myra came forward, knelt 
beside dying Ta-yu, her arm 
about him, and calling him her 
preserver, her brave defender, her 
hero! He muttered something 
in his native tongue. Kitcat 
approached, shook his head as 
the others sought his eyes enquir- 
ingly; then, mastering himself 
with an effort, he replied to 
Myra's mute petition. 

^^A little delirious, and back on 
the beaches near Amoy. Some- 
thing about a rainbow, glorious 
rest, celestial female y and ^the delight 
of my soul.' Steeped in old tradi- 
tions, I should judge, babbling of 
boyhood; the end is near.'' 

126 



Again the impassive physician 
inclined his head, nodding em- 
phatically — very, very near. 

A superhuman effort, and Ta- 
yu was sitting up, unsupported. 

^^That should be impossible,'' 
said the doctor, aside, to Kitcat, 
v^atching his patient keenly the 
v^hile. ^ What does he want now?'' 

Myra appeared to know. Still 
kneeling, she imprisoned the 
feebly-moving, clammy hand 
within her own two little ones, 
kissing it and dropping tears upon 
it. For a moment Ta-yu lay con- 
tent. Then the motion began 
again, seeking something more. 

Myra beckoned John forward, 
clasping hands with him. Ta-yu's 
hand played aimlessly about, then 

127 



settled surely, firmly, upon them, 
as does a butterfly upon a flower. 
Renunciation complete, he fell 
back exhausted on the pillow, 

A low greeting to Mr, Kitcat, a 
few half-uttered words to which 
the latter made suitable reply. 

^^He wishes you, Myra, to ac- 
cept this little figure from him,'' 
placing the "celestial female'' in her 
hand, as he spoke. ^^I have prom- 
ised to see to the suitable reinter- 
ment of his father's remains, when 
I return \.oAmoyy interpreted the 
missionary. 

^'Nothing in life becomes him 
like the leaving it. It is worth 
while to seek to save them; for 
they are men like ourselves, and 

128 



we are our brothers' keepers/' he 
added, half to himself. 

Deep silence, awaiting the end; 
then came a last vigorous pressure 
upon the clasped hands beneath 
his own. Quiet for a space, 
broken by the doctor, as he came 
forward, readjusting the bandage 
over the now-glazing eye, and 
pulling up the coverlet. 

He blew out the candles and 
extinguished the incense-sticks, as 
they passed out of the room to- 
gether, leaving Ta-yu to 

the Reckoning of Heaven. 



129 



DEC 28 1911 



One copy del. to Cat. Div. 



•EC 2t \9il 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 




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